choo-choo train infection?

Discuss Hosta Virus X and share pictures and information on this ever increasing threat to hosta growing.

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ronnab
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Joined: Jun 08, 2010 6:49 pm
USDA Zone: 5

choo-choo train infection?

Post by ronnab »

Was looking at my hostas the other day and noticed this had some different looking leaves from last year!!!
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Chris_W
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Re: choo-choo train infection?

Post by Chris_W »

Hi,

Feel free to post a picture to the forum. When you post a reply you can click the tab at the bottom that says "add picture or file", then click on the Choose or Browse button to choose an image file on your computer. The image should be less than 150kb in size and if it is a jpeg file the name should end in .jpg. Would be happy to take a look at it for you.

Chris
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ViolaAnn
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Re: choo-choo train infection?

Post by ViolaAnn »

I know Ronna's been trying unsuccessfully to post a picture. Then it occurred to me that I could grab her pic from DG and post it for her. Here it is -
Ronna - ChooChoo.jpg
Ann
Pictures of Ann's Hostas:
http://violaann.smugmug.com/Garden/Host ... 361_qL3gHS (SmugMug gallery now updated for 2016)
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Chris_W
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Re: choo-choo train infection?

Post by Chris_W »

Thanks for posting it for her. I sure would be suspicious of something like that myself.

If you want to mail me a leaf I'd be willing to take a closer look at it. You can send a leaf in a ziploc bag with no extra moisture or anything else, then put that into a second ziploc bag and mail it to:

Hallson Gardens
14280 S Meridian Rd
Cement City, MI 49233

If I have it in my hands I can tell a lot better what this is doing. Just pluck off a dry leaf and put it in a ziploc.

Chris
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Chris_W
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Re: choo-choo train infection?

Post by Chris_W »

Hi Ronna,

I received your leaf in the mail and it doesn't look like HVX and the test strip came up negative for HVX. The bad news is that it does look potentially like it could be some other kind of virus - I don't see any physical damage to the leaf, just discoloration and some reverse corrugation and leaf distortion. If all of the new leaves come out looking like that I would throw away the plant as a precaution. If new leaves come out fine later on and you never see this again then it wasn't something in the plant itself and would have been from some other outside cause (that would likely remain unknown).

I sure wish I could be more definite about it. Without doing a complete test under the electron microscope you wouldn't know for sure if it was viral, but the plant isn't worth that cost.

At this point, it is up to you. If it was me I would pitch it, but since this plant looks rather isolated from others you could watch it a little longer. If this shows on more leaves this summer definitely pitch it, or if it comes up looking like this next year I wouldn't keep it a day longer.

Good luck!

Chris
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